Is My Copy of The Killer Inside Me a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is the paperback original, Lion Books #99
• Wraps-only; no hardcover precedes it
• Lion Books logo on spine/cover and the catalog number 99 identify the issue
• A cornerstone Thompson paperback original and his most collected title

How Lion Books marked a first edition

• Sequential catalog number on spine/cover identifies the title; Lion ran a low-priced Lion line and a low-priced Lion Library line, the latter often carrying LL-prefixed numbers. The number is a title/series identifier…
• First printing: the copyright page carries no later-printing statement. Lion seldom announced reprints, so a stated reprint is uncommon; rely on the original catalog number and price together with the cover format.

Full Lion Books first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
4. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The paperback IS the true first; Thompson's classic Lion/Lion Library titles were nearly all paperback originals. Much later hardcover reprints (e.g., later collected/reissued editions) are 'first thus' only.P-014564

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition. Distinguish the Lion #99 first from the later Lion Library reissue and from modern reprints (Black Lizard, Mulholland, etc.), which are obvious modern editions.P-014565

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Killer Inside Me a first edition?

A first edition of The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson (Lion Books) is identified by: True first is the paperback original, Lion Books #99 (1952).

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The paperback IS the true first; Thompson's classic Lion/Lion Library titles were nearly all paperback originals.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition. Distinguish the Lion #99 first from the later Lion Library reissue and from modern reprints (Black Lizard, Mulholland, etc.), which are obvious modern editions.

I have a first edition of The Killer Inside Me — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.